When manufacturing a semiconductor device, various semiconductor structures are created by etching layers. During etching, etch residue, which is a polymer or particle, is created. For example, when etching to form a via the etch residue will be formed on the bottom and sidewalls of the via. Typically, the etch residues are organo-metallic polymers and include elements such as carbon, oxygen, fluorine, silicon, copper, hydrogen and nitrogen. The particles are undesirable because they contribute to low yield, high via resistance, via voids and other reliability issues. Therefore, there is a need to remove these particles.
In the industry, complex multi-component mixtures of ammonium fluoride, corrosion inhibitors, chelating agents, and complexing agents, are used to remove the undesirable etch residue. However these mixtures can react with underlying materials and create yield loss and result in poor electrical performance of the semiconductor device. In addition, these mixtures are expensive and thus, increase manufacturing costs. Thus, a need exists for a chemistry that removes etch residue created from etching, does not attack underlying layers, and is inexpensive.